Pressurized systems, such as aircraft, depend in part upon integrity of seals to prevent leaks. For example, aircraft passenger doors include an inner liner or seal and an outer primary seal that arc separated from each other by a distance of up to about eight (8) inches or so. The presence of the inner seal and the distance of separation between the inner seal and the outer seal introduce challenges in accurately pinpointing locations of any leaks past the outer seal. Further, detection of leaks past the outer seal are not feasible while an aircraft is in flight. One current method of leak detection uses a device that listens for any high-pitched noises that may indicate a leak. This method is inaccurate because it is difficult to determine exactly where the origin of the noise caused by the leak. For example, during flight door leaks on the outer seal may be detected in one location outside the inner seal while the actual leak on the primary seal is in a different location. Because there does not exist an accurate ground or in-flight test, subsequent test flights must be performed in order to verify that a leaky seal has been repaired. This resultant rework greatly increases production time and costs and delays.
Therefore, there exists a need for an easy-to-use tool and method for detecting leaks on the primary seal of a door used in an air pressurized system.
The present invention provides an air leak detection system and method that reduces rework of leaking seals and reduces additional flight testing of aircraft due to inaccurate seal detection by current known leak detection systems and methods.